History of the Flight
The pilot departed Shoreham on Runway 20 for a short flight to Deanland Airfield. He had not landed at Deanland before and had limited experience as pilot-in-command on short strips, although he had recently flown into several small grass airfields with a more experienced pilot. En route, he made radio calls to Deanland radio and had the airfield in sight but could not see the windsock, which he thought was probably obscured by trees.
He joined the downwind leg and, with the aircraft at 600 ft above ground level, turned to land on Runway 24. Initially the approach seemed normal, but the pilot became concerned that he was a little high. Conscious of the short runway at Deanland, he selected the final stage of flap, but he was increasingly aware that his approach was high. The aircraft touched down halfway along the runway and to the left of the centerline, then bounced. His initial reaction was to go around, but he had noticed the windsock and realized he had a slight tailwind. Following the bounce, the aircraft veered to the left and departed the runway. Its left wing struck a building, and the aircraft spun around before coming to a stop. The pilot was uninjured and exited the aircraft with assistance.
Airfield and Weather Information
Deanland Airfield has a grass runway aligned 06/24; right-hand circuits are in operation for Runway 24, with a Landing Distance Available of 457 m. Trees and buildings are present to the left of the end of Runway 24.
When the pilot departed Shoreham, the wind was approximately 180° at 6 kt with more than 10 km visibility. He estimated the wind at Deanland at the time of the accident to be light and northerly, and the runway condition to be dry.
Pilot Experience and Comments
The pilot held a Private Pilot’s Licence and was 55 years old. His total flying experience was 199 hours, of which 100 were on type; he had flown 6 hours in the previous 90 days and 1 hour in the previous 28 days. He considered that he should have overflown the airfield to clearly establish the wind direction before joining the circuit and that having a more experienced pilot with him would have been an advantage. He thought the situation may have been retrievable had he touched down on the centerline; he did not attempt to go around as he felt it would have been potentially hazardous in a Cessna 150 with three stages of flap and a tailwind.